Gage Johnson
Sports Editor
Most people dream of playing basketball professionally. After Murray State’s recent tournament loss to Florida State, senior guard Shaq Buchanan will get his first chance at the next level.
Dos Equis will host the second 3X3 National Championship at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. The participants were chosen by the player selection committee for Dos Equis based on merit, and they were required to have completed their collegiate careers to qualify.
A total of 128 players were selected, and the teams were constructed based on their conference. Joining Buchanan in the attempt to win will be Belmont’s senior forward Dylan Windler, Morehead State’s senior guard Lamontray Harris and Jacksonville State’s senior forward Jason Burnell.
This is the second year of the tournament. Buchanan is not the first Racer to partake in this tournament. Last year former Racer forward Terrell Miller represented the OVC. The Big Ten came away as victors in the inaugural tournament, defeating the Big West in the Championship 21-13.
For their second go around, Dos Equis gives participants in the tournament the chance to win a $50,000 pool play pot, as well as an extra $100,000 if their team wins the championship.
The rules of the tournament deem each shot inside the arc as one point, while shots outside the three-point line are worth two points. The teams will play to 21. If neither team has won after the 10-minute time period, whoever has the most points will be declared the winner.
The pool-play games will be livestreamed on Twitter, starting at 3 p.m. EST on Friday, April 5. The games will still be streamed on Twitter at 9:30 a.m EST on Saturday, April 6. Play will then wrap up Sunday, April 7, with the quarterfinals live stream starting at 10:30 a.m. EST. The semifinals and championship game will follow and be aired on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. EST on Sunday, April 7.
Buchanan wrapped his Racers career by winning the OVC Defensive Player of the Year, while averaging 13.0 ppg and 1.8 spg. Buchanan finished his two years with 110 steals, putting him 21st in all-time steals at Murray State. Only BJ Jenkins had more steals in two years at Murray State, finishing with 113.
After the Racers’ tournament loss, Buchanan said time would tell what is next for him. Time has told. You can catch Buchanan in tournament play going for his chance at $150,000 on April 5-7.
